Saturday, September 26, 2009

The Dude Girl Triathlon out at Pace Bend Park and hosted by Red Licorice events was last Sunday. I always look foward to the RLE events because the just seem to be more fun then other events. The RLE Events team run by Erin and Leilanie are full of life and a ton of fun and it always seems to rub off on everyone competing. AlsoThe ONLY women races they have always makes it more relaxed and enjoyable for me,which also means - takes the pressure off and have fun . Which is what this race was for me since i trained through it and had a long bike, easy run and swim the day before , which is gearing my up for my next two BIG races coming up.

I started out the day pretty tired but i felt excited to see what i could do since my new bike arrival, 2 weeks of having a training plan from my new coach under my belt, and have done many races out there to compare my splits too. I set some high goals going into it , and usually set higher goals than i usually am able to realistically accomplish at the time. But i would rather shoot high than low.

My three big goals were:1. I wanted to be the first woman to cross the finish line ( even though i was the 3rd wave to start , which was 9 min back from 1st wave.2. I was shooting for a 22-23mph bike split, which would have been 1st or 2nd amongst the pro's who did Champions Tri in April . My split in April was 19.6 i think.. so yes, a big goal.3. I wanted to have a faster time than not only my time at Champions but than some if not most of the pro's who did Champion's Tri.

SWIMSo this is the area where i was able to achieve Goal no 3 easily. We could RUN the swim. The water levels were so shallow and the rulings state that as long as your feet are in the water , it is legal to run. So I DID :).. If there weren't many other competitive ladies that i wanted to beat at the race, i probably wouldnt have done it as seen what my true swim split was. But i am too competitive not too. I wanted to win.. I ended up running probably just less than half the swim route which explains my 1:17 swim split .

RUN FROM WATER TO BIKE AND T1This is usually where i have to make up time lost in the swim. So i take pride in always having the fastest T1, and have to remind myself that as soon as i come out the water. I went as hard as i could up the hill for 5oo m , and everything went smoothly in T1 .yay . I had the fastest T1.

BIKEBike felt great. Usually i struggle the first lap since we start going up hills for the first 15 min. But i felt great. I was just focused on everything my coach had told me to think about and do on the bike, and it went smoothly. I was hoping to catch up to most people in the waves before me on the bike by the last lap at most. I didnt expect to catch them within the first lap and first 15 min. I was leading the race for the next 3 laps, and i was psyched about it . Goal 2 was achieved. I biked a 22.1 mph, faster than the next biker Missy Ruthven by 0.6mph, the same woman that flew by me at Captex beating me by over 15 min at Captex and 2mph on bike . So beating her was probably my 4th underlying goal for the day, and definately a good confimation of my improvement in 2009.

RUNAhh, the off road run. Never a great course to get a run PR since you never run on even ground, and have to jump over rocks here and there, but i enjoy the run out there. i think mostly because i know the course, and i know it is tough for everyone, so thinking about that helps me push through. I felt great on the run . the 1st 2 miles were an even 6:50 splits.the 3rd mile and turn around i pushed my split on my watch to see a 5:40 , surely not. My doubt was confimed at the next mile marker which put me at a 8.20 . so that evened it all up. My last 2 miles, i was feeling it . i didnt take in enough water and because of that , i hadnt taken in half of my energy gel which i was now needing. Dehydration and energy depletion set in and I slowed t a 7:15 for mile 5. Right about here i always have to remind myself that there is only 7 min to go , and i have just been going all out for 2h 08 min. 7 min is nothing , right !!! I tried to kick it in for the last mile and was starting to get into "the finish line is near rhythm", when while trying to avoid two ladies heading into the run, i tripped over a rock and fell. It was one of those slow - mo, sprawled out , face first falls. The poor ladies that i was running by stopped to see if i needed help, but as soon as i hit the ground i did a tuck and roll and got back up. Probably lost about 20 sec here and by sub 7 split i was hoping for , but i was just happy i didnt seriously hurt myself. I had a little hobble and could feel my right hamstring barking at me, but i was too close to stop now. i finished as strong as i could to finish with 7.03 ave pace and my best run split of the year - and it was off road. Elation :)

Finish time 2:15 ( New PR - kind of ) I figured i saved about 4-5min on swim , but then we had a way longer transition than most tri's ...so... i think i will count it. I intend to break it next week , so what does it matter right :)

Thanks again to Red Licorice for hosting another great event. Can't wait for the next one - The Ring of Fire Ride on Oct 31. Which will be a week after my last tri for the year, so i intend to fully enjoy the ride , and try not to get too competitive . We'll see ... :)

Thanks to all those who support me - PureSport, Jack And Adams, Sweet Leaf Tea, Red Licorice,Under Armour, Advanced Rehab. And lastly and most importantly my husband Steve, my family back home in South Africa, my friends, and to My Lord who continually astounds me with His Grace and Love. I do this all for HIM. Bringing Glory to him by using the talents He has given me is what He has created me for and the ONLY way to truly love and live.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Sorry this is a little late, and it feel like it has been ages ago. Here is my first race report on the Austin tri

SWIM

The swim , which is not my strong suit was definately a bit of a stuggle for me today. Because i was starting in the pro/open wave with men and women , i started in the back of the pack in the water - being realistic that i was going to get passed otherwise. Big mistake - it took about 20 sec for me to even get moving since everyone seemed to be getting jammed up infront of me and then i had to start out SLOOOWW because of the pack of guys around me all struggling to get going as well. so i missed out on that initial sprint out. The rest of the swim , it seemed like i could not get into a rhythm, i missed any sort of pack to swim in , and within 100 m it seemed that most of the front runners were way out infront. a Definate reality check on how much i still need to work on my swim. I got stuck in a pack of 4 guys. one was out infront and 3 of us were fighting to get on his feet. therefore i had 1 guy on either side of me, literally arms touching, and if one went askew , we all did. Lesson learnt - rather get out of that little pack and get into a rhythm then try to fight for a pair of feet :) Swim time 27.30 ( 1:50 pace --ouch )

T1

Seeing my time out of the water actually didn't discourage me this time around. I think the experience i had at Nationals where i had a 36 min swim because of the current prep'd me to forget about it and keep going.Transitions seem to be a place where i can make up some time so i hauled it through , and checking T1 times, i think i had the fastest of the females. the 15 sec i made up was still far off the 4 min i lost in the swim .

BIKE

I was on my New Felt B2 Pro ( thanks Jack And Adams ) which i got just 3 days before the race and had ridden only once. But knew it would be way better then the road bike i had been on, so i wasnt worried about the bike change and position. Being on that bike made me feel fast and i expected alot from it , and so mentally , i think that made me work harder on the bike. I started off slow , did a 23 min first loop and dropped to a 21 min 2nd loop and started feeling really good . Ended with a 20 min last loop. bike time 1:04, and a 23.2mph bike split. Had one of the fastest womens splits.

i am finding that i always start slow on the bike and feel the pain for the first 15 min or so, but have learnt to know that the pain will ease up soon and keep hammering away. All my race experience this year and the feelings i have experienced on the bike have really helped me get through the next race.

T2

Had another fast transition. the hardest part is taking my shoes off on the bike, i always seem to cramp up here. More sodium needed....

RUN

Went into the run with heavy legs for the first mile or so, but then the lightened up. The lesson i learnt from Captex tri, which was my first big tri with crowds everywhere, was to focus on getting into a rhythm and ignore the crowds and the person i am trying to chase down infront of me. At cap tex, i was too busy watching everyone , and who was infront, that i could never focus on my own race , and it showed in a 8:40 split that day. But i learnt a great lesson, so wouldnt have it any other way.

I ran a 43.50, 7:05 pace. and felt really good the whole run . I was able to pick off about 5 women infront of me ,which felt great. There havent been many races this year that i have had to chase anyone down, usually i am 1st of the bike. so running from behind was a new experience , and definately can be a mental challenge. but i feel i overcame today.

FINISH

2:18 and another PR for me ..yay.. Finished 8th amongst the pro's and i am slowly closing in on the big win. Soon....

THANKS TO:

First of all my husband , Steve. For his unendending love and support and his belief in me that i could do this. And my family back home, and friends here in Austin. Your support and encouragement means alot to me !

Jack and Adams for my bike support and High Five Events for a putting on a great race. Definately one of my favourites for the great downtown venue and race support.

Puresport - My pre- race, Race and Recovery Fuel. I drink Lime Workout before and during the race and Banana berry ( so delicious -to be sung like Fergi ) withing 15 min after finishing the race. I really attribute their nutrition to me recent race success. My training has been better than ever because i am always recoverd for the next workout. And it was great to have them ALL there at the finish line giving encouragement and handing out Puresport drink.

Sweet Leaf Tea - Their Tea and Variety of flavors are one of a kind and they are an Austin based company and a great supporter for all of Austin's events.They are always there at the finish line for a tasty post race treat. I LOVE Diet Peach

Advanced Rehab - always volunteering there time to work on athletes before and after races to keep us injury free

Red Licorice events - A great / FUN event company that are always there to show support. I can always hear Erin and Leilani hooting and hollering from a mile away

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Thank you for reading my first blog . I don't quite have a way with computers and programs , so this is a BIG DEAL that i even figured out how to do this.

It's the day before the Austin Triathlon, And i am sitting relaxing on the couch and feeling very fortunate to be in the position i am right now.

I am thankful for :

* A Loving , Kind and SupportiveHusband who loves me unconditionally* Great friends and family*Being able to live a life i have always dreamed of* The doors and opportunities that have opened up for me to strive after my triathlon goals*My exciting new adventure in the job field which allows me to train more

*The most important is that i have Jesus in my life, and I owe it all to Him.